Starting mechanism.



Patented Oct. l5, lam.-

w. T. GORDON. STARTING MECHANISM.

(Apylication filed June 20', 1900.) '(No Model.)

.IIH lllllllllll l l ullllllllllillllllllllllllllllllllllllllllI UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WVALTER T. GORDON, OF BOISE, IDAHO.

STARTING MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 684,606, dated October 15, 1901. Application filed .Tune 20, 1900. Serial No. 20,983. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER T. GORDON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boise, in the county of Ada and State of Idaho, have invented new and useful Improvements in Starting Mechanism for Sewing and other Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in mechanism for moving the cranks of machines off their dead-centers; and it consists in the simple and inexpensive mechanism hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims appended, whereby the operative of a sewing or other light machine driven by foot-power is enabled to quickly and easily move the crank thereof off a dead-center and start the machine without the necessity of removing his hands from the workbeing produced.

I/Vith the foregoing in mind the invention will be fully understood from the following description and claims when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of a machine equipped with my improved starting mechanism. Fig. 2 isasection taken in the plane indicated by the broken line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail plan illustrating the drivep'ulley of the machine and the parts of my improvements adjacent thereto. Fig. 4 is a detail section-illustrating a modification.

Referring by letter to the said drawings, and more particularlyto Figs. 1 to 3 thereof, A is the frame of a sewing or other light machine; B, a crank-shaft journaled in suitable bearings therein; 0, a drive-pulley fixed on the shaft and designed to transmit motion to the working parts (not shown) of the machine through a belt (also not shown;) D, a treadle, and E a pitman interposed between and connected to the treadle and the crank of shaft B after the usual well-known manner. Located at one side of the pulley O and fixed thereto is a ratchet F, and alongside of said ratchet is an arm Gr, pivotally mounted on the shaft B or on a support coincident therewith so as to swing in a vertical plane. The said swinging arm carries a lever-pawl II and is designed to be normally held in and returned to the position shown subsequent to an operation of the mechanism by a spring I, which is coiled about the shaft B and connected at one end to the swinging arm and at its opposite end to a lateral inwardly-directed projection a on one upright b of frame A, as shown. The lever-pawl H is fulcrumed at an intermediate point of its length on the arm G and is provided on its inner arm with a lateral lug c, which when the pawl is moved downwardly with the arm is designed to be engaged and supported by a rest (I, extending laterally inward from the frame-upright b and provided by preference with an angular arm at its inner end, as shown.

J is a bell-crank lever, which in the preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a rock-shaft e, journaled in hangersf, depending from the top of the frame A, a pendent arm 9, and an arm h, disposed approximately at right angles to the arm J. The arm h of said lever is connected by a link i with the outer arm of the lever-pawl H, as shown.

In the practical operation of the mechanism when the crank of shaft B is on a deadcenter and it is desired to start the machine the operator presses his knee against the arm g and rocks the bell-crank lever J in the direction indicated by the arrow. When this is done, the arm G and the pawl H are raised or moved in the normal direction of rotation of the shaft B, and the innerarm of the pawl is moved into engagement with the ratchet F, with the result that said ratchet, the pulley O, and the shaft B are partially rotated and the machine started. When pressure is removed from the pendent arm or knee-piece of the bell-crank lever, the spring I operates to return the arm G to the position shown, and as the arni swings downwardly the lug c on the inner arm of the pawl H is engaged by the rest (I, with the result that the said pawl is moved out of engagement with the ratchet l and held away from the same until it is again necessary to employ the starting mechanism. By virtue of the pawl being thus held away from the ratchet it will be seen that the ratchet is free to rapidly rotate with the pulley and all noise and friction are avoided while the machine is in operation. The movement of the pawl into the position shown by the rest cl also operates to re- ICO turn the bell-crank lever J to its normal position (best shown in Fig. 1) ready for an other operation of the mechanism.

In Fig. 4: is shown a modification in which the link t'is connected to an arm G and a pawl H is fulcrumed at one end of said arm. This construction operates in the same manner as that shown in Figs. 1 to 3 and before described. In both constructions the pawl and ratchet constitute a driving connection between the arm and shaft when the arm is moved in the normal direction of rotation of the shaft, and the rest (1 forms means for entirely freeing the connection between the arm and shaft when the machine is running.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing that while Very simple and inexpensive my improved mechanism is highly efficient in starting a sewing or other light machine, and it will also be observed that after the machine is started and the parts of my improved mechanism reassume their normal position they are entirely independent of the machine and do not interfere in any way with the rapid running of the machine or cause any noise incident thereto.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In a starting mechanism for sewing and other machines, the combination of a drive shaft having a ratchet fixed thereon, a swinging arm, the center of movement of which is coincident with the drive-shaft, a pawl carried by said arm and adapted to engage the ratchet, a movable knee-piece, connections whereby, when the knee-piece is moved in one direction, the arm and pawl thereon are raised, and means whereby, when the arm and pawl are lowered, the latter is disengaged from and held away from the ratchet, substantially as specified.

2. In a starting mechanism for sewing and other machines, the combination of a frame, a drive-shaft having a ratchet fixed thereon, a swinging arm, the center of movement of which is coincident with the drive-shaft, a lever-pawl carried by said arm in a position to engage the ratchet and having a lateral projection, a movable knee-piece, connections whereby, when the knee-piece is moved in one direction, the arm and pawl thereon are raised and the ratchet partially rotated through the medium of the latter, a spring for lowering the arm to its normal position, and a rest on the frame arranged to engage the lateral projection of the pawl incident to the downward movement of the arm and disengage and hold said pawl away from the ratchet, substan-' tially as specified.

3. In'a starting mechanism for sewing and other machines, the combination of a frame, a drive-shaft having a ratchet fixed thereon, a swinging arm, the center of movement of which is coincident with the drive-shaft, a le Ver-pawl fulcrumed at an intermediate point of its length on the arm and having a lateral projection on its upper arm, a coil-spring connected to the arm and frame, a rest on the frame arranged to engage the lateral projection of the pawl incident to the downward movement of the arm and disengage and hold said pawl away from the ratchet, and a bellcrank lever fulcrumed on the frame and having a'pendent knee-piece andan arm connected with the outer arm of the lever-pawl, substantially as specified.

4. In a starting mechanism for sewing and other machines, the combination of a suitably-journaled driving-shaft, an arm journaled about the same, a movable knee-piece and intermediate connections for rocking the arm, and means for forming a driving connect-ion between-the arm and shaft when said arm is moved in the normal direction of lotation of the shaft.

5. In a starting mechanism for sewing and other machines, the combination of a suitably-journaled driving-shaft, an arm journaled about the same, a movable knee-piece and intermediate connections for rocking the arm, means for forming a driving connection between the arm and shaft when the said arm is moved in the normal direction of rotation of the shaft, and means for entirely freeing the connection between the arm and shaft when the machine is running.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing wit= nesses.

WALTER 'l. GORDON.

Witnesses:

H. J. STILLMAN, A. D. STILLMAN. 

